The Situation Has Changed
by ChiefPam
Summary: What if, when Julie went to talk to her Dad about R, she started off a little differently? A re-working of that confrontation and the changes that follow. "Dad, I know why the corpses are coming this way, and they're not coming to attack us. The skeletons – they call them bonies, by the way, not that it matters – they're coming to attack. The corpses are coming to help."
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello, lovely people! Thanks for checking this out, I hope you'll be entertained. This is movie-verse. Prior to this story, things have proceeded exactly as we saw on-screen: R falls hard for Julie, saves her & takes her home, she gets to know him, they start changing the world. I love the movie scene with Julie's Dad, but then this alternate version popped into my head… hope you like it.

[Side note to the people who follow me as an author in other fandoms… give this one a try, you won't get lost. I think it's self-explanatory, and Warm Bodies is simply the most awesome movie ever, so I want everyone to know about it! J]

_I confess, I copied a little bit of the early description from my previous fanfic __**Take A Chance (Julie's Story)**__ because, efficiency. But it's not plagiarism 'cause I wrote the original. Lazy, maybe, but not plagiarism __J__ A fair amount of the dialog, however, is straight from the movie, so I can't claim credit for those lines. _

**The Situation Has Changed**

**by ChiefPam**

R, Nora and I enter Dad's headquarters. The offices at the front of the building are deserted, so we move on to the cavernous warehouse space behind. There are military vehicles, piles of supplies, and soldiers moving around purposefully. We slow, and I look around for my dad.

"Okay, you guys wait here," I direct Nora and R. I spot Dad across the way and start walking over to him.

He sees me coming and sighs. "What are you doing here?" He leaves his companions behind and meets me in the middle of the warehouse.

That's too complicated to answer. "What is going on? What is all this?"

"Not sure," he says, walking. "But it's not good. We've been getting reports that there are sizeable packs of skeletons and corpses coming toward us. We don't know why…but if they're here to attack, there's nothing we can do about it. Too many of them, too few of us." Wow. That's unusually grim, even for Dad. I look towards the side of the cavernous space to spot a red hoodie. Nora and R are keeping up with us, that's good.

"Dad, listen," I say, tugging on his elbow. "I know why the corpses are coming this way, and they're not coming to attack us. The skeletons – they call them bonies, by the way, not that it matters – they're coming to attack. The corpses are coming to help us out."

He slows to a halt next to a Jeep, looking at me like I'm crazy. "Julie, what are you talking about?"

I grab the chance to keep talking; once he gets started it's hard to interrupt him. "I lied to you, Dad."

His eyebrows go up, but I have his full attention.

"When I said I escaped? I didn't. Not really." Leaving without saying goodbye is not the same thing as escaping. "I was hiding out – well, no, I was being hidden. And protected." I'm still not going to tell him exactly where, though, just in case. I take a deep breath. "I spent the last three days hanging out with a corpse."

His mouth falls open slightly, and his eyes narrow.

I put my hands up an instictive defensive gesterue. "I'm not infected, Dad, remember? Kevin did the eye scan thing, this morning. Nothing bit me, honestly. R protected me, took care of me. He's different, Dad. And the others are changing, now, too." He's just staring at me. "I think the dead… are coming back to life."

Behind Dad, I can see R watching us hopefully. I meet his eyes and shake my head just a little. Dad's not quite ready for him to come out yet, I don't think. Not when Dad's spent the last five years single-mindedly focusing on killing zombies of all kinds.

He's shaking his head, impatient. "Julie, we're not their friends, we are their food. They don't eat broccoli, they eat brains, and they are not becoming vegan, okay?"

"Yes, they are!" I have to raise my voice to get a word in edgewise. I shoot a quick look around, no one seems alarmed. "They're, I don't know, somehow curing themselves. The corpses, I mean. But the bonies don't like it, and they're coming after me, Dad. Me and R, both, because we started something, the two of us."

"How do you think you know this?"

"R told me." I lift my chin a little, gathering my courage. "When he came to the house, a few hours ago."

That stuns him into speechlessness. Astonishment mixed with disgust, anger and fear. Very slowly, controlling himself tightly, he asks, "There's a corpse inside the city?"

"He's my friend, Dad." I resist the urge to look at R, standing behind Dad across the room. "He hasn't hurt anyone, he isn't going to hurt anyone. And he's the only one who came in; the others are waiting outside."

"If one can get in," he says, still in that overly controlled voice, "the others can get in. Where is this breach, Julie?"

In my rush to defend the corpses, I'd momentarily forgotten about the bonies. Maybe I need to tell him, after all. I just don't want to, because that's where… right. I take a deep breath. "It's being guarded," I tell him. "By R's friends." I wish I felt a little more confident about that, but, well, I have to trust R here.

"Dad, you have to trust me." Yeah, I can see by his face that that's not happening. "Listen, I will introduce you to R if you promise not to shoot him."

"It's here?" His head snaps up and he starts looking around. I can't see R and Nora, anymore, so that's good. "How did it get here?"

"We walked, Dad. We put some makeup on his face, so he wouldn't be so obvious, and nobody noticed."

Dad turns back to me with a skeptical expression. One corner of his mouth twitches up. "Makeup?"

I smile, just a little, in response. "Yeah, he didn't really like that idea, but he cooperated anyway. Poor guy. We had some new music for him to listen to, so that helped. He hadn't heard new music in a long time."

"Who's we? Never mind, I know - it's Nora. And… music?" Dad's starting to look a little less angry and a little more confused. I'll take that as a good sign.

I shrug. "He likes music. All kinds, really. He's got a record player and a *ton* of old records. He spent hours playing them for me. Which is how I know he's a good sport, but not a good dancer." Gah, I know I'm talking too much, must be nerves. This is the most important thing I've ever tried to do, and the stakes… I can't think about that.

A look of enlightenment crosses Dad's face. "Okay. Julie, we're going to go over to the medical tent, and see if they can help you…"

I cross my arms and plant my feet. "I was not hallucinating, Dad. It really happened. I know, it's bizarre, but it really happened. R was different when I met him, and since then… He's changing, and he feels, and he's learning to be human again. And that has spread to the others, Dad. They're dreaming!"

He frowns. "Corpses don't dream. They don't sleep."

"I know!" I wave my hands around a little for emphasis. "But R does, now! He was asleep this morning. And dreaming, and he said some of the others were dreaming, too, and remembering."

One eyebrow goes up. "You saw him sleeping?"

"Yeah, I did. I got out of bed and left the house without waking him up, too, and…"

"You were sleeping with him?" Now his voice is getting loud, and I flush with embarrassment.

"No, Dad, it wasn't like that." Although now that he mentions it... "He was on the floor. The previous nights, he'd like, pretend to sleep, just to make me feel more comfortable – no playing records or anything to disturb me – but last night… well, this morning he was turned on one side, and his eyes were closed. I've barely ever seen him with his eyes closed, he doesn't even blink, which was really creepy at first but then I got used to it." I stop to suck in a big breath. "But we're getting off topic, which is the bonies coming after him and me."

"Hi," a voice says off to the side, and I blink, turning to see R standing there.

Dad just looks at him. "Who are you?"

"This is R," I inform him, stepping to R's side and holding his hand for the second time. "He saved my life, a lot."

"Well, I didn't ask you," Dad says mildly. "I asked him." Turning to study R's face, he repeats himself. "Who are you?"

I look back and forth between them, nerves churning as I realize that the next moment could either save or destroy the world.

to be continued…

Too short, right? Don't hate me! I'll get part 2 up tomorrow. And it's not that bad of a cliffhanger, really.

Reviews are love, if you'd care to leave one. Also, crack for writers. Authors who get reviews tend to write more. J Scientific fact!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Hello again, thanks for reading! I love reviews and favorites and follows.

Same disclaimers as on previous chapter. Only for fun, no profit intended. Enjoy!

**The Situation Has Changed**

**by ChiefPam**

_"Hi," a voice says off to the side, and I blink, turning to see R standing there._

_Dad just looks at him. "Who are you?"_

_"This is R," I inform him, stepping to R's side and holding his hand for the second time. "He saved my life, a lot."_

_"Well, I didn't ask you," Dad says mildly. "I asked him." Turning to study R's face, he repeats himself. "Who are you?"_

_I look back and forth between them, nerves churning as I realize that the next moment could either save or destroy the world._

R is trying, I can tell, but the words are getting stuck, and he's staring at Dad, starting to panic.

I squeeze his hand for support. He looks down at me, and I smile at him. I can see him regain his calm, and he looks back at Dad.

"I don't… remember… my name," he says, "Julie…" he glances down at me for a brief second, then looks back up, straightening a little. "calls me R."

"You're a corpse."

"He's a person, Dad," I interject. "Not a thing. And he's a good person." A thought of Perry flits through my mind, but I realize I've already made peace with that. Perry wanted to die, R wanted to live, it all worked out.

"We're getting better," R says.

"No," Dad says, almost reflexively, laying his clipboard down. "Things don't get better, they get worse. People get bit, then they get infected, then—"

"Dad! Listen to me. Three days I spent with him. Not only did he not bite me, he made sure no one else did, either. He kept me safe." Okay, so my life was in jeopardy a couple of times, but that was mostly my own fault for running away.

"Wasn't… easy," R says.

I look up at him in surprise. Is he teasing me? I lightly smack his arm, laughing. "Hey!"

Dad's mouth twitches again.

R is almost smiling, looking down at me. "Worth it." Then he looks back at Dad. "We want to help you." He takes a breath before continuing, and surprisingly, Dad doesn't interrupt. "Bonies want to kill us – me, my friends… and Julie."

Dad is not looking impressed. "Why would they want to kill you?"

He doesn't quite add, '_and why should I care_' but it's coming through pretty clearly anyway.

"They don't want things to change. We're changing everything," R says, hopefully. "It's o…kay if they kill me." He gives a little shrug. "Killing Julie… is not okay."

I look up at him, wanting to protest, but he's focused on Dad and maybe I've said enough already.

Dad shakes his head and just looks at us for a long moment. "Can't argue with that."

"Have to stop them," R says. "Better chance if we do it together."

The silence is deafening. I try not to fidget, but my other hand, the one that's not holding R's, comes over to rest on his arm just above his wrist. He looks down at our joined hands, just like before. Last time it was because I was scared… but this time, I'm scared for him.

I move a little closer to him and look back over at Dad. "Dad, really think about what you're seeing. This is a new thing. We can start over. They need our help." No change in his expression. "Good soldiers adjust to changing situations, that's what you taught me."

I think I might die from suspense. What is it going to take to get through to him?

Finally, Dad sighs. "Okay. You want to help. How's that going to work, exactly?"

R looks up, apparently startled by the abrupt change. Dad's just like that, though. Full on, or full off. He'll be okay, now.

"Umm… you could radio your troops," I suggest, realizing that coordinating is going to be impossible considering the corpses aren't going to be able to communicate well, if at all. "Tell them that the corpses are changing sides, and the soldiers should concentrate on the skeletons."

"Yeah, that'll go over real well," Dad mutters, but pulls out his radio, anyway. "This is Colonel Grigio. The situation has changed… we have reports that some of the corpses are…" he pauses, looking at me, and at R, then continues. "I've seen hard evidence that some of them are on our side. So… if you run into them… give them a chance. They might be trying to help. The skeletons are the bigger threat."

There's a long pause. Then the radio crackles into life again. "Sorry, sir… could you repeat that?"

Dad's disbelief of me is morphing into annoyance at the nerve of people who disbelieve him. "Rosso, I've got a corpse standing right here in front of me. He's not attacking, he's talking and," Dad makes a sour face in my direction, "holding hands with my daughter. He says that his friends are on our side now. Frankly, we need the backup. So, don't shoot unless they're attacking you."

I bounce on my toes, so happy we've made this breakthrough.

R looks at me with a more-serious-than-usual expression. "Have to tell my friends."

"Okay," I agree. "Where?"

"Stadium."

"Right. Dad, I have to go - we're going to contact the corpses. They don't have radios." Plus they can barely talk, but now's probably not a good time to mention that.

He looks over at me. "Be careful, Julie."

I smile. "Don't worry. R will keep me safe."

"He'd better. If he doesn't… I will hunt him, I will find him, and I will shoot him in the head." He stares at R for a long moment, during which R shrinks back just a little, but manages to hold eye contact. Apparently satisfied that he's made his point, Dad nods, and turns away.

"You be careful, too, Dad," I say awkwardly. He and I haven't always gotten along, and it feels weird to worry about him, but… R's been showing me the importance of family.

He pauses for a brief second, then nods again and continues on his way, shouting at the nearest group of soldiers. More like his usual self. It's comforting somehow.

R and I take off, then, headed for the subway. We need to check in with some friends.

_Fade back into movie continuity…_

_…at least until after the sacrifice fall, for which scene I have a few ideas…_

So, tell me if you laughed at any point. Did I get Col. Grigio right? Was this a big fat waste of your time? Please let me know… :)

P.S., if you're into music videos, you might want to check out my YouTube channel… Search for "Pam Jernigan" and crank up the volume ;)


	3. Chapter 3

_Well, I didn't intend to write this, but you all inspired me :) Big kisses to NotMarge, Comet Moon, and Brigid for reviewing! Thanks to everyone else who's been reading, too. This continues on from the end of last chapter, except I skip straight to the good part. Oh, and this part of the story really needed to be told from R's perspective._

* * *

The Situation Has Changed

by ChiefPam

I follow Julie, running after her, not really knowing where we're going. Anywhere she is, I want to be, but mostly we're trying to get somewhere safe. The bonies have always scared me, and that was before they started trying to kill me. I'm a little amazed I'm still alive. But I have to be, to take care of Julie.

So I'm making my legs move as fast as dead limbs will move, keeping up. And then I hear a screech from behind me, feel a weight on my back, and I'm rolling on the floor. A moment later, I hear Julie yell, and I catch a glimpse of her on the floor, stiff-arming a boney to keep it from biting her. Have to save her!

I fight, and get kicked across the room into a wall. I slide to the ground, looking for a weapon. There's a metal box; I grab it and bash the boney to the ground, and then smash it's ugly head in. Not taking even a moment to catch my breath, I leap over and use the box to swing the other boney away from Julie. She's still alive, still un-bitten.

She looks around at the twice-dead boney and says, shakily, "Thank you."

I help her to her feet and we take off again. I want to tell her how much she means to me, how I would do anything for her. Saving her is an entirely selfish action for me. I need her to be okay much more than I need air. But there's no time and no breath as we keep running.

We round a corner into an open area and Julie suddenly stops, whispering, "Shit."

I stop next to her, looking around, my dead heart sinking as I see how many bonies there are, spaced out across the entire open area. Have to save her!

They begin advancing slowly – they like being terrifying, I think. Looking around, I spot a door behind us, away from them. I grab Julie's hand and pull her towards it. She follows willingly, up until we reach the door and I thrust it open. Suddenly her hands are grabbing onto my hoodie, pulling at me.

As the door opens, I see why. We're on a metal platform near the top of the stadium, and the only way off is straight down. There's a pond down there, don't know how deep. But I do know that Julie can't take a fall from this height.

She looks up at me in anguish, and whispers, "It's over."

"No," I say quietly, "Keep you safe." My brain doesn't work too quickly, most of the time, but where Julie is concerned I out-do myself. A plan forms. Julie can't take that fall. But I could.

I look back into the stadium; the bonies are still moving forward, a little faster now.

At least I think I could. My body's already dead. I've been shot and stabbed, barely noticing. I'm not sure what slamming into the water would do to me.

But I know what it would do to her, and that's unacceptable.

"You'll be okay," I tell her. She's looking back and forth between me and the ground and the bonies, and I wish there was time to tell her how beautiful she is, and how brave, and bubbling over with life. She captivated me from the first instant I saw her. I would do anything for her. There's no time, I have to act, to do at least one more thing to keep her safe.

I pull her into a hug, holding her tight against my front, then turn to face the bonies. Now, now, now. I tip over backwards, trying hard to remain absolutely flat, to keep my body between Julie and the water. I readjust my hold on her as we fall.

When her Dad failed to shoot me, when he accepted me, I had a moment of hope, that a future with Julie was going to be possible. But a future *for* Julie is enough. I'm not important. I hold her tighter as we fall. _I love you, Julie._

My back crashes into water. The world blinks out.

* * *

The world roars back. Cold. Wet. Julie's terrified voice saying my name. "R, please!"

I'm not laying flat anymore. I'm upright, in water, and Julie needs me. I open my eyes, blinking as water runs into them. I stagger, slipping back down into the water a little before I find my balance. I study her, frantic to know that she's okay, and she's doing the same to me, I think. She runs her hand over my face, pushing back my wet hair, and I can't help smiling. She's alive! and so beautiful. I could just stare at her for hours, but she's moving her hands over my head and neck and it feels amazing.

And there's a look on her face I've never seen before. As we both start to get our breath back, she starts moving towards me, looking uncertainly in my eyes, then at my lips, then back to my eyes. I forget to breathe, hoping with every fiber of my being that she doesn't stop.

She doesn't. With a shy smile, she kisses me, and my eyes close. All I can feel, taste, smell, think about, is her. I can't remember ever having kissed anyone, but some long-forgotten instinct stirs, and I'm kissing her. After a few blissful moments, she pulls back. Her lips pull away, and after one last kiss my lips reluctantly separate from hers.

I open my eyes, looking at her for the verdict.

Will I ever be allowed to do that again? One time was much more than I deserve, but I'm greedy. She's looking at me, studying me with a look of wonder. After an eternity passes, she smiles, and says softly, "Whoa."

I'm not certain if that's good, but it looks like it is, and I just can't wait, I go back for another kiss. She meets me halfway, and I wrap my arms around her as she runs her hands around my neck and back. This is even better than before.

We separate again, and Julie seems to be studying my face. I'm rejoicing in her nearness as a look of amazement crosses her face. What is she seeing? I don't know, but she's smiling wider than I've ever seen. I gather her into another hug, just relishing our closeness. She snuggles closer, kissing my neck and still slowly running her hands over me. I spread one hand against her back and turn my head to kiss the hair above her ear.

Suddenly, I feel myself being pushed backwards, and I stumble, trying to stay above water. What is going on?

I release Julie to try to get my balance back but she's sagging against me, and even starts to slide sideways, her head moving away from my neck a few inches towards my shoulder before my shocked brain begins to process that she's hurt. I grab her again – I can't let her slide under water.

I check her face, which is contorted in pain. What…?

"Shit!" I hear an angry voice from a little ways away. "What did you do that for, idiot?"

I look up to see two young men, soldiers maybe, standing at the edge of the pool. Pointing guns at me.

"I was trying to hit the corpse – he was mauling her," another voice replies, angry and scared. "I didn't meant to shoot the girl. I'll get him next time."

My worst nightmare is playing out in front of my eyes. "Julie? Julie, are you okay?" I know it's a stupid question but I want so badly for the answer to be yes. I can feel her fingers flexing in my hoodie, but she doesn't speak and her eyes are squeezed shut.

"Let her go, corpse!" the first soldier says, lining up a shot meant for me.

They're both aiming guns at me – at us – and I don't know what to do. But I can't release Julie – she's moving a little now, but I'm still supporting most of her weight.

"Settle down, moron," the second one says. "Let's just wait for reinforcements, alright? The Colonel's on his way."

That's very good news. Even though I've failed to keep Julie safe, and her Dad is going to shoot me in the head. I just need to get her out of this pool, to get medical attention. I have no idea what to do.

"She needs help," I try to yell, the words clogging in my throat and stumbling out my mouth.

"Let her go, corpse," the first one repeats, "or I'll shoot!"

"I can't!" I can't let her go, she'll drown. If they shoot me, she'll drown. They can't shoot me. Not yet. Not until I get Julie safe.

"Hold your fire, private, that's an order. You're not a good enough shot to hit it without risking her."

They're scared of shooting her again. If I'm behind her, they won't dare shoot again.

I'm in an awkward position, holding my shoulder forward to support her head, which still rolls if I let it. I try to adjust my hold on her but she cries out in pain when I move, so I stop.

The smell of her blood hits my nostrils – Living blood – and then I really freeze. The New Hunger is what turned me into a monster, compelling me to eat so many people, and it's strong, so strong... I haven't felt the Hunger since I met Julie. I'm terrified what it might do to me, what I might do to her, and yet I can't let her go.

No, I will NOT hurt her. I set my teeth and look towards the soldiers. They look young. And scared. They have to let me get her to safety. "She's hurt," I say, trying to speak clearly. My brain is frazzled and my body seems even less under my command than usual.

"What'd he say?"

"I said, she's hurt," I repeat, a little louder. And I'm not Hungry. I refuse to be. I can feel the faint stirrings of that appetite, but it's like a fading dream, and I dare to hope that it won't be a problem.

Julie starts to cough, and cry at the same time, and I hold her tighter, trying to hold her still. "R," she whispers.

I look down at her immediately. "I'm here, Julie. I'm so sorry, I'll take care of you, just… try not to move." I don't know how much she's heard or understood of the past few minutes.

"Tell them," she says breathily, very quietly, pausing between words, "to radio in." She starts coughing again, and I shush her.

I look up again, and the two soldiers are just staring at us. "Radio," I say as loudly as I can. "Call Colonel Grigio. I'm not… your enemy. Wasn't attacking her. Trying to keep her safe, please…"

They're looking stunned now, but still not going for their radios.

"Need to keep her safe. Let me carry her out, then you can shoot me, I don't care. Just help her."

The younger one is shifting uneasily. "Don't move, corpse."

"Grigio's on his way," the second one says, whether he's talking to me or not.

"He needs to hurry," I try again. "She's hurt, she's bleeding."

"Damn," the younger one mutters. "It'll tear her to shreds now. Once they get a smell of blood…"

I could cry, out of frustration and fear.

"Junior," the second one says, "This ain't right. He's not acting like a corpse. You sure he is?"

"Well, yeah," Junior says, a note of uncertainty entering his voice. "Why else would he be mauling a girl in the pond?"

"Yeah, but he's talking. And he ain't torn her up yet."

Julie stirs a little. "Tell Danny to stop… being an idiot."

"Danny," I repeat, as loudly as I can. "Julie says stop being an idiot."

That seems to have gotten through. They're lowering their weapons at least a little, the younger one – Danny? – with a slack-jawed look, when a truck pulls up and Grigio comes in with a group of soldiers. He sums up the situation with a glance and a curse word. "Stand down, soldier – that's my daughter, and he's her friend."

"I was trying to save her," Junior protests.

"By shooting her?" Grigio snorts and turns towards me. "R, how bad is she hurt? Can you bring her over?"

I start towards him, although it's difficult, moving through the water and still almost carrying Julie in front of me. "Don't know. She said a few things."

"Good," Grigio replies, the relief clear in his voice. "The moron over here didn't kill her. Kevin, get rid of them. Shoot 'em if you want to."

"Tempting, sir," Kevin says, glaring at Junior and his friend. "Maybe after we beat some sense into them?"

Grigio ignores him, focused now on directing his soldiers, his voice steady. How can he be so calm? Two men hop into the water and come towards us, and I let them take Julie, carefully. She cries out again, and it tears at my heart. She has to be okay, she just has to be.

I follow them out of the pool. Julie is on the ground, surrounded by people. Are they fixing her? They're doing something but I don't know what. I just stand there, feeling more lost and alone than ever. Maybe I should leave now, not get her into any more trouble.

Am I strong enough to leave her, if it's in her best interest? I suspect not, so I just stand there miserably, feeling cold again, dripping on the pavement. Helplessly watching the woman I love suffer. I said I would keep her safe! My fault, my fault, my fault. _Please, Julie, you have to live. I need you to be okay._

If she dies, right there, they'll probably shoot me.

Good.

I can't go on without her. I wouldn't even want to try.

* * *

_...to be continued_

Did I surprise you? :) After the previous chapters, Grigio wasn't going to try to shoot R, but really, *something* needed to happen, right?

Extra thanks to my lovely and awesome fanfic friend NotMarge, who made a video that was _definitely_ inspirational as I was getting this ready to post this. I can't put links, but search on You Tube for "e8yu2qEQWP0". She calls it "Love in a Time of Apocalypse". Great song, great clips, really great ending :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, I should probably make y'all wait longer (I was promised a sockpuppet commenter), but what the heck. Comet Moon, NotMarge, and Brigid (the superheros of reviewing) have spoken, I shouldn't be greedy, holding out for more. I appreciate you guys *so* much and believe that I would not be writing this without your encouragement. So I hope this is satisfactory...

* * *

**The Situation Has Changed**

**by ChiefPam**

_Am I strong enough to leave her, if it's in her best interest? I suspect not, so I just stand there miserably, feeling cold again, dripping on the pavement. Helplessly watching the woman I love suffer. I said I would keep her safe! My fault, my fault, my fault. Please, Julie, you have to live. I need you to be okay._

_If she dies, right there, they'll probably shoot me. _

_Good. _

_I can't go on without her. I wouldn't even want to try. _

Movement in my field of vision. Col. Grigio stands next to me. I look down, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah." He sighs heavily, and for a moment we just watch the people work on Julie. He shrugs then. "Not your fault Danny's an idiot. Probably my fault for giving him a gun."

"You can shoot me in the head now." I deserve nothing better, and Julie's back with the Living, where she belongs. She doesn't need me anymore.

He looks sideways at me. "R… how did you two end up in the pond in the first place?"

It takes me a minute to remember; it seems to have happened so long ago.

"Because the last report I heard, you two were near the top of the stadium."

I look up at the platform, squinting into the brightness. "There were bonies – skeletons. Waiting for us. Emergency exit."

"That's a long drop," he observes. "How the hell are either of you still alive? Or, well, functioning."

"I… broke Julie's fall. Had her on top of me so she didn't hit the water."

"Is that so."

I shrug. Doesn't really matter to me if he believes it. I almost didn't make it through last time, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If I had one. Only next time I'd turn us around so I was between her and the edge of the pool. What had I been thinking?

I hadn't been, obviously. Too caught up in the moment, in the look in her beautiful eyes. The ones that are closed now.

The people around her shift, and I can see her face now. And her eyes are fluttering open. Do they see, do they notice? What does it mean? She frowns weakly, and tries to talk. They don't seem to understand her.

Grigio places a hand on my back and gently moves me forward. "Out of the way, people, she wants her boyfriend."

I look at him, startled, and he shrugs a little, speaking softly, just to me. "Easiest explanation for them right now. Just go with it."

I don't argue, falling down on my knees next to her torso, reaching for her free hand. She grips it tightly, and very faintly, I can hear her saying my name. "I'm here, Julie. I'm here." Her eyes close and her face relaxes, just a little.

"Is she going to be alright?" Grigio asks someone behind me, gruffly.

"Yes, sir, I think so. It looks like she was shot in the shoulder and had the wind knocked out of her pretty good. Her lungs and ribcage are banged up, so that's why it's hard for her to talk. We'll need to operate to get the bullet out. I've got an ambulance on its way."

"Good."

"You'll be riding with her, sir?"

There's a pause. "No, he will. I have a lot of work to do. Get her back to the med tent and operate, if you can."

"Yes, sir. Um, who… is that? It's not Perry."

"No, Perry was killed a few days ago."

By me. The guilt courses through me again. Julie tightens her grip on my hand again.

"This is R," Grigio concludes matter-of-factly. "New guy."

"But, how…"

"Never mind that, the ambulance is here. Get her taken care of, hear me? Radio if you need me." A hand touches my shoulder. "R?"

I look up. "Yeah?"

Grigio is standing there, looking down at me as if I were a perfectly normal human being. That's a little unnerving. "You stay with her, okay?" he says. "I don't want her being alone."

"I will." I never want to be apart from her.

"Do you have any messages, for, ah, anyone?"

I shake my head. Nothing worth sending, and I don't have any names for any of them anyway. "Thank you," I say, choking up a little.

"I'll see you later, then," he says, and walks off.

A vehicle drives up, all flashing light and wailing sound. An ambulance, I guess. The medic comes over and crouches down beside me. "We need to lift her up onto the gurney; could you give us a little room?"

I nod. I kiss Julie on the forehead, then step back to let them work. In a surprisingly short period of time, they're loading her into the back of the truck. The same medic looks back at me. "You coming?"

"Yes," I reply, and figure out how to get into the area in the back, positioning myself next to Julie with the medic on the other side of her. As the truck gets underway, he checks her, then looks up at me, meeting my eyes for the first time.

I wait for the moment he realizes what I am. That instant flash of fear and revulsion. But it doesn't come. He's curious, but that's all.

"Don't look so scared," Julie whispers. "Gonna be fine."

Don't be scared? When she's lying there, nearly as pale as I was – I guess as I am again, since the water probably washed off the make up. "You have to get better," I tell her.

She smiles a little, and nods. "Working on it," she rasps.

"Don't talk," I tell her. "Keep your eyes open, if you can. Otherwise, you look…"

She nods again, just a tiny movement. Her lips compress as the truck jolts over something. I wish I could take all the pain away, take it all on myself. Why wasn't I the one who got shot?

I feel a flash of distant anger, like lightning on the horizon, powerful but far away. I wonder if Kevin ended up shooting Danny. Part of me really wishes he did, but only part. The rest of me really wishes no one ever had to die again. There's been too much death.

* * *

I used to be good at patience, but not today. I'm sitting in the waiting area of the medical tent. It's weird to sit in a regular chair again. I'd be more comfortable moving around, but the zombie shuffle would probably alarm them. I should at least act human. As much as I can. I'm very aware that they might come to their senses and kick me out – or shoot me – at any time.

"R! Where is she? What happened?"

I look up to see Nora. I stand and she shocks me by pulling me into a brief hug. It's nothing like hugging Julie, of course, but it's… nice.

"She's in surgery. A soldier was trying to shoot me. Missed. Hit her instead." The guilt stabs me again. My fault, my fault, my fault.

"Oh, no!" Nora says. "That's terrible. But she's going to be okay, right?"

Don't know. I shrug. "They think so. Have to wait. Seems like it's been a long time."

She looks at me, curious. "You're getting better at that – talking, I mean. A lot more fluent than yesterday."

"Lots of practice," I explain. She's right, though, it's definitely getting easier to express myself. I don't even have to work at breathing in to get the air to speak with. I guess I'm getting in the habit. "Thanks for helping, yesterday."

She nods. "You're welcome. You know, I didn't think it was a good idea, you going to talk to the Colonel like that. I was hiding out, waiting to jump in if you guys needed me, but you didn't. So, good call."

Nora looks towards the rear of the tent, where there's a cloth divider between us and Julie, on the operating table. There's a low buzz of talking and machinery. I don't know what they're doing. Nora moves towards it, but a soldier frowns at her when she gets more than half way across the space. She stops, and returns to sit near me. "I guess we're waiting. Want me to tell you how I met Julie?"

That is not what I want most right now. But it's better than listening to myself think. "Yeah."

"It was back in junior high…"

* * *

"Um… Mr. R?"

I look up to see a man standing in front of me, looking tired. Nora jumps up, but I stay seated, frozen between hope and fear. "Yeah?"

"She'll be fine."

I sag back into the chair, weak with relief.

"We got the bullet out, and were able to repair most of the damage. We moved her to a room in the back. It'll take a while for her to come out of the anesthesia."

I shoot a questioning look at Nora. "Drugs," she tells me. "To keep her from feeling anything. It'll be like she's sleeping."

"Can I see her?"

"Oh, certainly. She won't know you're there yet, but… yeah, that's a better idea. Come on, this way." He waves a hand and stands back, waiting for me to come with him.

He leads us both to a small room dominated by a white bed. Julie is lying there, so still. I've seen her sleeping before, this is not like her sleeping. When she sleeps, she breathes deeply and makes little movements and curls up to get comfortable. She's always been so full of life, bubbling over with it. Now she's unnaturally still, flat on her back. "Is she… really okay?" I have to ask.

"That's just the drugs," he assures us. "Miss Nora, would you mind stepping outside a moment?"

She looks at me and I shrug. So she steps back out into the hallway. The surgeon closes the door and the room feels much smaller. He's studying me. "So, are you the corpse?"

I don't know what to say to that.

"Grigio said there was a corpse holding hands with his daughter, and she's his daughter, and you do look awfully pale," he says, almost to himself.

Julie's warnings about me getting killed echo in my ears. There's a tightness in my chest. "Um…"

He nods. "Thought so. Hey, don't look so scared," he says, sounding a little surprised. "They told me Grigio said you were her boyfriend, and that he wanted you to stay with her. If he's okay with it, I'm okay with it. Just curious. Does Nora know?"

I open my mouth to reply but find myself sucking in a lungful of air, first. I must have stopped breathing. That'd never been a problem before. "Um, yeah. She helped."

The tight feeling in my chest relaxes as I keep breathing. I look longingly at Julie. I don't know how to talk to people, how to deal with all this, I need her to help. I just need her.

"Well, I'll just let you sit with her for a little bit. If you notice her coming around, or in any distress, push this button here, okay? That'll bring a nurse. But she'll probably be out for a while yet. We'll keep checking on her."

"Thank you," I manage to say. There's a chair in here, and I drag it close to the bed, so that I can hold Julie's hand. I settle in to watch her chest gently rise and fall, reassuring me that she's still Living. Now, I can be patient. Now, I can sit still. As long as she's with me, I'm okay.

* * *

"R? R, wake up." A gentle voice is calling me, from far away.

My first fuzzy thought is that I can't wake up; the dead never sleep.

A quiet laugh changes to a cough, and at the sound, I sit bolt upright. Looking around, I spot Julie, and then nothing else matters. She's smiling at me. "Hey, sleepyhead!"

"Hey. How are you?" I feel weird, achy and weak, but I ignore it.

She looks good, not as flat as before – the bed changed shape, somehow, propping her up like she's sitting.

"I'm good," she says. "Really. I woke up, like, half an hour ago, and I've already talked to the doctor. He's got me on some good pain meds. You didn't budge. You were really tired!"

I consider that. "Haven't had much sleep in the last few years."

"No, I guess not." She laughs, a little. "I was really glad to see you here, when I woke up. I wasn't sure if they'd let you stay."

I shrug a little. "Your dad said I should. He said," I add, wanting to be honest, "that I was your boyfriend."

A slow smile creeps across her face. "Would you like to be my boyfriend?" she asks. There's a teasing note in her voice, but the look in her eyes… is very serious.

"Yes." There's no need to think about it, and no room for anything but the unvarnished truth.

She reaches for my hand, which had fallen out of hers earlier, when I was sleeping, I suppose. She holds it with one hand, and brings the other over to hold my wrist, like she likes to do. As if one hand might not be enough to keep me near. "I think I would like that, too."

I can feel a smile stretching across my face. Smiling this much is a new experience for me, but I like it.

She's just smiling at me, playing with my hand. Do I dare try to kiss her? Would that be okay? With her lying down it might be awkward…

She frowns, briefly, and I freeze. Did I do something wrong? She's looking at my… arm? She has her fingers curled around my wrist and she's re-adjusting them so the tips are right at the base of my thumb. "R?" she says, quietly.

"Yeah?"

"R, you… have a pulse. I can feel your heart beating." She looks up at me with wild hope and joy in her eyes. "And you were sleeping, and you're warmer, and not as pale, and your eyes are blue, and…. R, I think you might be alive!"

That's a shattering thought. Me, Living?

"I'm calling the nurse," Julie says, reaching for the call button. Then she stops. "Do they know… that you… um, the whole technically-dead thing?"

"The doctor did."

"Close enough," she says, and stabs the button. We sit there and stare at each other for a little while, smiling and hoping, until the door opens to reveal a nurse.

"What did you need, Miss Grigio?"

"I need you to check his vital signs."

Her head snaps back, and she looks sideways at me. "But, Miss Grigio… they told me… he doesn't have…"

"I think he does now. I could feel a pulse in his wrist. Check it, check it!"

The nurse is eyeing me warily, but reaches for the wrist that Julie had been holding. Her fingers are cooler than Julie's. At that moment, there's a weird noise, and I look around in alarm. "What was that?"

Julie starts laughing, but manages to choke out, "R, that's your stomach! You're hungry!"

My eyes widen in dismay, and I can't understand why she's laughing. She'd just said I was Living, and now this? "I am not Hungry, I promise."

"Not the way you're used to, no," she says, her laughter dying down a little. "R, you need food. Human food, the kind of food I eat."

"Definitely a pulse," the nurse reports, sounding excited now. "Steady and normal. I'm gonna go tell the doctor." She hurries out of the room.

I look at the door, then back at Julie, trying to take it all in.

Her eyes are shining. "You're alive!"

This is bewildering. "I don't know… what to do."

"Just keep breathing," she advises, still amused. "The rest, we'll figure out."

"Together?" I ask. I don't know how to be Living, but if she's with me, I'm willing to try.

"Yes, R," she says, reclaiming my hand. "Definitely together. No matter what."

The End

* * *

_(at least I think it is, who knows what other plot bunnies might hop past me…)_

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know if you laughed at anything, or anything made you go "awww" :) Sorry for the cliffie last time, but I thought it might make an interesting change to throw R on the world without Julie to help him. :) Luckily, Julie's Dad was there, observing and understanding a lot without having to be told. Thanks for reading!


	5. Shameless Self-Promotion

Hey guys... sorry, this isn't actually a new chapter of this story BUT some of you followed this story, and if you enjoyed this one, I'd invite you to check out my new fanfic, because I think you might like it, too. It's titled Would You Love a Monsterman. So, nothing new here, but a whole new R/Julie story there. :) Fair enough?


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